William Ayers Forgoes Trip to Canada, Citing Concern About Being Barred

William Ayers, the former antiwar militant who retired as a professor of education from the University of Illinois at Chicago last year, has decided not to attend a conference in Canada out of concern that he would be denied entry, according to the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations. In 2009 the Canada Border Services Agency declared him inadmissible when he arrived at Toronto’s city airport, forcing him to leave the country and cancel a speech. Since then, lawyers for Mr. Ayers have been unable to secure his passage across the Canadian border and advised him not to attempt another entry, the Ontario confederation said in a statement. Mr. Ayers was to speak at the Worldviews Conference on Media and Higher Education, in Toronto.

“Bill Ayers is a respected academic, and in no way a threat to the peace and security of Canada,” said Mark Langer, president of the Ontario confederation. “There is no reason why he should be kept out.”